


fifteen minutes

by Fluoradine



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Background Fareeha "Pharah" Amari/Angela "Mercy" Ziegler, Background Relationships, Concerts, Crush at First Sight, Crushes, First Meetings, M/M, Mentions of alcohol, Music, Social Anxiety, and literally everyone else there, wingman genji, zen is an anxious dude
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-24
Updated: 2017-08-24
Packaged: 2018-12-19 07:34:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11892996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fluoradine/pseuds/Fluoradine
Summary: It's Zenyatta's first time at a Blackwatch concert - the band his best friend Genji plays drums in - and he's not so sure that he wants to be there. But his mind changes after meeting some bubbly fans, and after he gets a glimpse of the band's guitarist and backup singer, Jesse McCree.





	fifteen minutes

**Author's Note:**

> i return! july and the first half of august were some pretty fun months for me, but i barely got time to write or come up with any new ideas, so this is another old one that i really wanted to write for fun. tbh i missed mcyatta, the rare-pair-that's-slowly-becoming-less-rare, and i hope you enjoy! please leave kudos and comments if you liked bc it tells me people actually like what i'm writing!

A steady beat of dance music echoed down the street to where Genji was, twirling a drumstick as he followed the sound to the biggest and brightest house on the block. Zenyatta squinted in the lights as he caught up to his friend, not wanting to be left alone somewhere so unfamiliar and unnerving. Everything around him was intimidating, and they hadn’t even gotten to the front lawn yet. 

As the music got louder, Zenyatta took a deep breath. This wasn’t how he’d planned to spend his Wednesday evening. It was supposed to be another long and resigned night of schoolwork, but Genji had better plans, or at least that was how he’d put it when they’d started to drive down the highway, already too late for Zenyatta to excuse himself and stay home.

The two were going to a Blackwatch gig, which was the band Genji had been in for almost two years now. He played the drums for two of his other friends, and was always talking about all the weird things that happened at their shows. But Zenyatta had never been to one, partially because he didn’t care that much for music, which was something Genji could never understand about him. He’d never offered, and Zenyatta had never asked, so he assumed that that was the way it would always be. 

But Genji was making up for that by taking him tonight, apparently giving him a chance to ‘branch out and hear some cool new songs’. The venue was a large house in the middle of the suburbs, where a crowd of fans had already gathered and were dancing in lieu of Blackwatch’s promised performance. Zenyatta wondered how they hadn’t gotten complaints from the neighbours yet, and hoped that he wouldn’t have to talk to the police at his best friend’s concert. 

“Tonight isn’t a normal night - it’s the middle of the week, so we’re gonna get a smaller crowd than usual,” Genji explained as they entered inconspicuously. “Usually there’s a hundred, maybe a little more. I remember one time we played in Hana’s neighbourhood, and we must’ve gotten five hundred people to come out. She does a great job at hyping us up.”

As they walked through the colourful crowd, Zenyatta felt like he’d shrunk down to two inches. All these faces and bodies were too close to him, and everything was too loud to hear himself think. This was far out of his comfort zone, and he really didn’t want to be here. Parties were never his thing, and he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d been to a backyard concert - actually, for all he knew, this might be his first one ever. 

Zenyatta looked to Genji for support, and saw him sigh in relief. “It doesn’t look like I’m that late after all. We’ve got time to introduce ourselves. Wanna meet some fans?”

He was about to pass and insist he just spend the night by himself when someone shouted nearby. “Genji! Genji Shimada!”

They both turned around to see two girls in matching Blackwatch shirts, running towards them in a hurry. The crowd parted without any trouble to let them by, not even staring as they continued to shout for Genji’s attention. Zenyatta didn’t have time to ask who they were before they stopped, breathing sighs of relief in unison.

“We were looking everywhere for you, how’d you get here so late?” the dark-haired girl asked Genji, looking weirdly happy to see him. 

“I had to get a ride - Jesse and Gabe left without me. And you know my brother isn’t an easy person to convince.”

“You’re lucky we found you first, Genji,” the blonde girl said, who looked rightfully upset with him. “Gabriel’s been on about how he ‘can’t take this seriously if no one else is going to’ all night. I think I heard him mentioning new drummer auditions to Hana just before.”

“Hopefully tonight’s not my last performance, then,” Genji laughed. “Where are they practicing?”

“Inside - the speakers and lights aren’t set up yet. I don’t - hang on. Who’s this?”

She stopped as her eyes fell onto Zenyatta, who had been staring in confusion for a while. He had no idea who either of these girls were, yet they were on good terms with Genji, obviously. 

“This is Zenyatta. He’s my friend,” Genji gestured to him, who was starting to feel like he should’ve had a better excuse to stay home tonight. “Zen, this is Angela. She’s friends with the band.”

“Nice to meet you,” Angela said, who’s frown had turned to a bright smile in a split second. “Don’t worry, Genji’s only told me good things about you. You’re the one who has the crystal collection, right?”

“Um…yes, that would be me.” Zenyatta said, shooting a quick glare at his friend, who chuckled under his breath. 

“I’m Fareeha, by the way.” The other girl nudged Angela’s shoulder, and smiled at Zenyatta. “Weird, I haven’t seen you at any shows before.”

“This is the first time I’ve been.” Zenyatta said, interrupted by Angela’s gasp halfway through.

“He’s never been to a Blackwatch show?” she asked Genji, who shrugged his shoulders.

“He never asked about it, so I never offered.” he said, and Fareeha giggled.

“Such a great friend you are. Don’t worry, we’ll help you out.” She said all this with a beaming smile as if she was talking to a lost child. Zenyatta did have to admit that he was pretty lost, though, and was most likely on track to get even more confused with the girls’s ‘help’. 

“What would we do without our groupies?” Genji smiled, and nudged Zenyatta. “They’re nice, don’t worry,” he whispered. “As long as you keep them talking, which should be easy, you’ll be fine.”

“Genji, why are you still here? They’re waiting for you, go, go!” Angela shooed him away, and Genji nodded as he began to walk off. 

“They won’t bite you, Zen - find me after the show, okay?” he said, and ran off to find his bandmates. As he watched his friend disappear into the sea of people, Zenyatta silently hoped the night would go by quickly. No part of him wanted to be left alone with Angela and Fareeha, who were looking down at him like he was a bug, but he didn’t really have another option. Spending the next two hours by himself would be torture, and he was sure these girls wouldn’t let him walk away that easily. 

Zenyatta was desperately thinking of something to say when Fareeha broke the awkward silence. “So, you’ve really never been to a Blackwatch gig before?” she asked. 

He shook his head. “Genji likes music much more than me. It’s his hobby.”

“You don’t like music?” Fareeha looked shocked at Zenyatta even suggesting it. 

“No, I do, just not the specific…well, not exactly….” he started to stammer out, but Angela interrupted him again. 

“Must be a movie person,” she suggested. “But you’ll like Blackwatch, I’m sure of it. And if you don’t, at least you can meet some new people. Do you drink? I can get you something, if you want.”

Zenyatta thought about it, then nodded. Hopefully the night would go by faster drunk, he thought to himself as Angela ran off, and Fareeha started telling him all about her first time at a Blackwatch concert, which lead into a story about the first time she met Genji, which lead into another story from there. Yes, as long as they kept talking, Zenyatta would be fine. 

 

“So, you and Genji met at school?”

“At a high school party. I walked home with him after he’d thrown up on his girlfriend’s shoes, and he talked my ear off the entire time. But I liked the conversation, and he was nice. We’ve been friends since.”

Angela nodded with interest. “Me and Fareeha were roommates last year - that’s how we met. I’m second year medical school, and she’s second year engineering.”

“And we’re girlfriends. Don’t forget that.” Fareeha added, who had finished her second drink of the night and was already starting to loosen up. 

“I could never.” Angela replied, who was also a little tipsy. She blew a kiss to Fareeha, who giggled as she blew one back. “But you were saying, you were saying?”

“Oh, nothing. Just about Genji.” Zenyatta said. He had only had one drink and wasn’t horribly drunk, just enough to feel a little less anxious about being here. Angela and Fareeha had made smalltalk interesting in the ten minutes he’d known them for, and he’d learned quite a bit about the girl who was apparently one of Genji’s old friends. 

“I still can’t believe he never told you,” Angela laughed. “Me, Jesse, and Genji were all in middle and high school together. Funny, Jesse and him always talked about being in a band, but I thought that was just teenage daydreaming.”

“Well, if you’re determined enough, you can do anything,” Zenyatta said. “The best ideas always start as impossible ones.”

Fareeha nodded. “Well said. I think that’s how I got Angie at first.”

“Oh, you’re such a romantic,” Angela giggled. “Look, you’re making him uncomfortable.”

“Are you into anyone, Zenyatta?” Fareeha asked him, and Zenyatta suddenly felt himself heat up. 

“Not…um, not currently, no,” he said, and Angela crooned.

“Really? No crushes, wheels, fuck buddies?” she asked. 

Zenyatta shook his head, knowing that she really wanted to get an interesting answer from him. “None.”

“By choice, or no?”

“No.” He really hadn’t had much time for a relationship in the past year; his first year of school had taken up a lot of time, and he barely had the confidence to talk to his advisor, much less ask a guy out. It wasn’t at the top of his to-do list, but he always had a small hope that he could find maybe someone who caught his attention, and could spend hours and hours with alone.

“Well, there’s probably lots of people here with the same problem,” Fareeha said. “Maybe you could find someone. Or you could keep an eye on the band, if you’re into musicians.”

Angela giggled. “Oh, I don’t even remember who’s single. I know Gabe’s in a long-distance, and other than that there’s Genji….but you two are friends, so just Jesse, then.”

“Does he not have a thing with the DJ from Soundwave?” Fareeha asked, but Angela shook her head.

“Maybe, but I think the DJ might be with the girl from the tech store. You know her, it’s, well…Sadie, Sarita, Sofia?”

Fareeha sighed. “If you can’t remember her, she must not matter. Zen, you should definitely keep an eye out. I know some couples who’ve met at Blackwatch gigs. There must be something about my house that makes them fall for each other.”

“Your house?”

“This is my mom’s place,” Fareeha gestured to the large house they were standing outside of. “She’s okay with the band playing here. I think she enjoys it, actually. Just one step short of coming to see the show for herself.”

“You should invite her down! I’d love to see Ana rocking out to Blackwatch!” Angela laughed. She played the air guitar as Fareeha collapsed into giggles, and so did Zenyatta at the sight of both of them losing it. He was surprised; both of them were nicer than he’d originally thought, and the night was going a lot better than he’d expected it to. 

The girls had just started to sing along with the music when it stopped, and a voice came over the speakers. “Okay everybody, it’s showtime! Gather around if you wanna see what you came here for!”

The crowd’s heads craned to look over at where the voice was coming from, and saw the same thing that Zenyatta saw: three men in matching red and black, standing on the small stage near the hedges. Genji was sitting behind a drum set, smirking as everyone rushed over to them, all talking and screaming at once. Zenyatta didn’t know that Blackwatch was this big of a deal - they looked professional with the light setup, outfits, and screaming fans all put together.

Angela and Fareeha both squealed. They grabbed both of Zenyatta’s hands and ran with him towards the band. A short girl wearing one of their shirts stood with a microphone at the foot of the stage, waving her hands to calm everyone down. “Okay, looks like everyone’s ready! You guys ready?”

The crowd responded in unison. Angela and Fareeha shouted and cheered with them, nudging Zenyatta in the shoulder. “Well, I know you guys were ready twenty minutes ago, but we weren’t - and you can all thank Genji for that, by the way - but here we go!” the short girl said again to more screams and shouts.

“I’m Hana Song, and this is Gabe Reyes, Jesse McCree, and Genji Shimada - or as you all know them: Blackwatch!”

Screams erupted from the crowd. Zenyatta watched as the frontman took the microphone from the girl, who whispered something that he laughed to. 

Genji made a drumroll as he said his own introduction. “Alright, she said it all. Thank you all for coming here tonight, on a Wednesday of all days. I’m Gabe, we’re Blackwatch, and we’re gonna start with some songs that we didn’t even write. You all cool with that?”

Angela and Fareeha cheered their approval, and Zenyatta meekly joined in. He knew this would last forever if he stayed out of it, so he wanted to at least try to enjoy himself. 

Gabe nodded. “Sounds good.” He put the microphone into its stand. “One, two, three, four!”

Zenyatta heard everything and nothing at the same time. There were speakers everywhere around the lawn, and the sound of guitar, bass, and drums came screaming out of them as soon as the band started playing. His ears were stunned as he watched the band with wide eyes, Genji hitting the drums behind Gabe at centre stage.

_“What if I told you that the world was gonna end, and you had fifteen minutes to spend with me or your friends? Would you take the first bus over to my house, or would you take the last plane over the west coast?”_

Angela and Fareeha danced along with the crowd, bobbing their heads and knocking into everyone around them. Gabe had an amazing voice, as everyone seemed to agree, keeping the air fairly quiet for him to sing solo. It was unlike anything Zenyatta had ever seen or heard before, and he instantly forgot about any worries he’d had as he watched them play.

As the song went on, Zenyatta watched Genji behind the drums, keeping a steady yet chaotic rhythm. He was smiling as he played, concentrated and mischievous at the same time, doing what he loved over everything else. Zenyatta was surprised he’d never heard him playing before, and even happier that his band was popular enough that everyone could see him at his best. 

But as they kept playing, his eyes began to wander over to the guitarist near the drum set. Gabe had stopped singing to let him have a solo, and he was now the focus of the crowd’s attention. The cowboy hat he had on was covering his face, making him look fully immersed in the song. The sound that came from his guitar was amazing, and it looked so effortless that Zenyatta could’ve sworn he was barely trying at all. 

_“What if I told you that the world was gonna end, and you had fifteen minutes to spend with me or your friends? I guess we don’t even need to use the phone, I don’t need your answer, I’ll be spending it alone.”_

The song ended, and the guitarist dropped the neck of his instrument, letting it hang as he tipped his hat. He nodded as the crowd cheered and screamed again, barely even fazed by the attention. Zenyatta found himself watching closely as he took a few steps towards Genji and said something, making Genji laugh loud enough that he could hear it.

Gabe picked up his bass again. “Shimada?” he said, and Genji started a drumroll into the next song. The guitarist started to play again, his right hand strumming the strings as his left hand jumped from chord to chord on the neck. Zenyatta watched how quickly they moved, sliding up and down as he plucked and played, making a low and powerful melody that kept every part of him captivated. There was something about him that had caught his attention, and he found that he could barely tear himself away. 

Zenyatta tapped Angela’s shoulder. “Who’s the one playing the guitar?”

“That’s Jesse,” she said, and grinned at him. “Why, finding something interesting?”

_“I speak fast, and I’m not gonna repeat myself, no, so listen carefully to every word I say…”_

“No, not at all.” he said, knowing full well that he had gone bright red from cheek to cheek. 

Jesse walked forward as they continued, joining Gabe at centre stage. _“You’re appealing to emotions that I simply do not have, blackmailed myself…”_

_“…cause I ain’t got, cause I ain’t got anyone else…”_ Jesse sang, and Zenyatta felt his heart skip a beat. His voice was smooth, melodic and sweet, even just telling by the few words he’d sung. The crowd cheered and screamed for him, and Zenyatta would’ve joined in if he wasn’t so awestruck. He’d barely known Jesse existed five minutes ago, and he’d already fallen hard for him and everything he was doing on that stage. 

Fareeha turned around to see Zenyatta blushing and staring, completely lost in the spectacle. “Having a good time?”

He nodded quickly. “Yes, it’s…it’s great, really good.”

“See, I knew you’d like it!” she said, and Angela tugged on her sleeve. She whispered something in her ear, and Fareeha’s smile widened. 

_“So put your hands in the air, and don’t make a sound, but don’t get the wrong idea, we’re gonna shoot you, we’re gonna shoot you…”_ Gabe sang as Jesse harmonized, and Zenyatta knew that he was in deep. The girls giggled as they went back to dancing, leaving him to stare at Jesse like he’d never seen anyone play guitar before. And for the whole show, he was sure he never wanted to see anyone other than him play it again. 

 

The crowd of a hundred had dwindled down to a group of drunk fifteen, all standing awkwardly in the yard as the lights went out. Blackwatch’s set had ended half an hour ago, and most of the fans had stayed for a little afterpartying and an encore. Zenyatta had walked around during it with Angela and Fareeha, who had introduced him to some other fans and friends, and of course, had pestered him with questions about his fixation on Jesse.

If he’d known just how hot their guitarist was beforehand, Zenyatta probably would’ve been much more interested in Blackwatch from the start. In the rare moments when Angela and Fareeha weren’t talking his ear off, he got lost in his own imagination, replaying moments of the show when he’d sworn Jesse was looking right at him as he sang. Everything about him had mesmerized Zenyatta from the start, and he didn’t want that to be the last time he ever saw him. Fareeha had noted that the band sometimes wandered around during the afterparty, and had promised she’d keep her eyes open for him. 

But they’d made their way inside eventually, Angela and Fareeha heading upstairs while Zenyatta followed the noise to the basement where Blackwatch was having their own quiet afterparty. Hana Song had tried to dance with him when he walked in, but he’d escaped towards the couch in the corner, and it was there where he found Genji, twirling his drumsticks and tapping his feet to the muffled radio in the background. 

“So, you survived your first Blackwatch show - how’d you like it?” he asked Zenyatta, who’d just finished asking him why he’d never gotten to meet Angela before, if she was such an old friend of his. 

“It was great, Genji. I’m surprised you didn’t take me before.” 

Genji shrugged his shoulders. “Hey, if I’d have known you would’ve loved it that much, you would’ve been there for every show. You can definitely come any time you want - we could always use more groupies. Do you want me to introduce you to everyone first?” 

Zenyatta nodded very slowly, spotting the electric guitar case on the ground beside them. “Are they all still here, or…?”

Genji pointed to Gabe talking with three others on the other side of the room. “Gabe was joking about holding new drummer auditions after the show. I’m only seventy-five percent sure he’s not going to do it. But as far as I know, it’s not late enough for them to start clearing out.”

“Do we have to go soon, then?”

“If you wanna get to your eight AM class tomorrow, yeah, but-”

“Knew you didn’t go far.” a voice interrupted Genji, and Zenyatta looked up right into the face of Jesse McCree, cowboy hat on and drink in hand. His heart jumped right into his throat as Jesse looked down at the two of them. “Didn’t think you’d be interested in chattin’ up any fan this late.”

“When have I ever chatted up a fan? They’re always the ones coming to me.” Genji snickered as Zenyatta tried to think of something to say. He had to say something - there was no way he was going to let Jesse go by after the way he’d felt watching him tonight. 

“Course, I forgot you just attract girls and guys on your own. I mean, you’ve already got a plus-one right there.”

“Hm?” Genji looked confused, then followed Jesse’s line of sight. “Oh, no, that’s just Zenyatta. He’s my friend. Zen, this is Jesse. He plays guitar.”

Jesse smiled down at him, and Zenyatta prayed that he wasn’t blushing bright red. He didn’t think it was possible for Jesse to look even better up close, without the performance outfit and guitar strapped on. “Nice to meet you. Sorry, I thought you two were together.”

“Oh, no, we’re not together,” Zenyatta said, laughing nervously. “I’m not with anyone. Just by myself.”

Jesse raised an eyebrow, and Zenyatta had to stop himself from smacking his own forehead. “Good to know. You like the show?”

Zenyatta nodded. “You’re very good at guitar,” he said. “And singing.”

“Ah, well, I practice. You play anything?”

“He doesn’t really like music,” Genji answered for Zenyatta. “This was his first show. Funny, I thought that-”

Zenyatta elbowed Genji before he could finish. “No, no, I do like music. I just….I didn’t take much interest in it before tonight, I….suppose.”

Jesse chuckled again. “Well, did we change your mind?”

Zenyatta nodded. “Very much so. I think I get it now.”

He looked over to Genji for support, and saw the look on his friend’s face. Both his eyebrows were raised, and he was grinning like he’d just put everything together. “I told you before, Jesse; Blackwatch saves lives.”

“Yeah, lives of people who’ve never seen you break a snare drum before,” he laughed again, and took a drink. “Zen, if you’re ever interested, I could show you how to play.”

Zenyatta had to make sure that he’d heard Jesse correctly before saying anything back. “I…that would be…wait, really?” he stammered out.

“Yeah, I’ve got time after shows. Guitar isn’t that hard when your fingers get used to it,” Jesse said with a nod. “We could start now, if you really want.”

Zenyatta wanted to say yes. It was as if his attraction to Jesse had outweighed his anxiety. He wanted to talk to him for hours on end, hear him sing again and let himself be captivated again. Just being this close to him now was enough for him to forget all about getting home and getting up in the morning tomorrow. If he had the chance to stay, there was no way Zenyatta was going to pass it up, fear and anxiety be damned. 

But Genji shook his head. “We have to drive back. My brother needs his car, and I think Zen’s already in enough trouble with his brother already. Nice of you to offer, though.”

Jesse nodded in understanding. “Alright. Maybe after the next one, Zenyatta.” He winked down at him. “Good job tonight, Genji. And don’t worry about Gabe, he’s not really mad, just messin’ around with you. It’s Hana I’d worry about. See you two around!”

“I figured. See you!” Genji said, and Zenyatta watched as he turned his back and left them on the couch. He tried not to stare, and focused on the quiet music that was playing instead. Genji was still tapping his feet, and had been throughout their whole conversation.

They sat in silence for a little while, Zenyatta going back through everything Jesse had said to him. He’d offered to teach him guitar. He’d actually _offered to teach him guitar_. That was practically asking him out. Zenyatta almost thought he was dreaming. But no - Jesse had wanted to stay longer with him. He had no idea when the next show would be, but he already knew it was too far in the future to settle for. 

“Do you have his number?” he broke the silence with, and Genji looked up from his drink. 

“Jesse?” he asked. Zenyatta nodded, and a mischievous smile spread across Genji’s face. “You wanna talk to him?”

“He’s…nice.”

“Yeah, ’Nice’. You’re definitely not hot for him or anything like that.”

Zenyatta sighed, and swore Genji was laughing at him. “Was this part of your plan?”

“Plan? Zen, you insult me. Who said I had a plan?”

“Taking me to your concert, introducing me to your friends, and setting me up with your guitarist? You seem a little too happy with yourself, Genji.”

Genji shook his head. “Hey, I had nothing to do with anything he said. I know Jesse. If he likes you, you can tell. And he’s head-over-heels for you, I know it, just by how jealous he was when he thought I was your date. Weird, I thought he’d knew who you were, especially after I told him I was bringing my shy friend to our next gig.”

“I knew it. Of course you had something to do with this.”

Genji shrugged, still smirking. He reached into the pocket of his jacket and scribbled something down on a scrap of paper, handing it to Zenyatta when he was finished. “Here, now you can tell him how impressive his fingering is. Or at least go to meet up somewhere other than a concert.” 

Zenyatta read the numbers on the paper, and looked over at where Jesse was now leaning up against a wall, watching the rest of the entourage talk and dance together. And he knew that despite his original uncertainty, getting dragged here tonight was the best thing that could’ve possibly happened to him.

**Author's Note:**

> songs are fifteen minutes by mike krol and it's hard to say 'i do' when i don't by fall out boy. and there isn't going to be a follow-up for this one, so use ur imagination ~


End file.
